On July 27,2022 the President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), Ambassador Lin Songtian invited representatives of African youth leaders in Beijing to visit the CPAFFC, and had in-depth exchanges with them on China’s development history, achievements and experience, China-Africa friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation, international situation and other issues of common concern to increase understanding, understanding and friendship. Ji Yongjun, Deputy Director of the Asian and African Department, and others were present at the meeting. The 8 young leaders invited this time are leaders of international students from Gabon, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Mali, Chad, Zambia and other countries studying at Peking University, Tsinghua University among other universities in Beijing.
Amb. Lin Songtian introduced the great history and achievements of China’s reform and opening up and poverty alleviation, and said that China adheres to the leadership of the Communist Party and the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and fully implements President Xi Jinping’s people-centered development thought, which has created rapid economic development and social development: The “two miracles” of long-term stability. China has embarked on a path of peaceful and civilized development that suits its own national conditions with Chinese characteristics, which not only benefits all of the more than 1.4 billion people, but also provides new hope and new choices for developing countries in Africa to pursue independent and sustainable development. Combining his own experience, Amb. Lin Songtian interpreted China’s policy concept on Africa and the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and mentioned that China and Africa are natural good friends, good brothers and good partners, and China-Africa cooperation has broad prospects for development.
President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to China-Africa relations. He has visited Africa many times and attended the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Beijing Summit together with leaders of African countries, opening a new era of win-win cooperation and common development between China and Africa. The Chinese side has always kept its promises, and has always been committed to helping Africa to give priority to solving the three development bottlenecks of lagging infrastructure, lack of talents and shortage of funds, and to improve the ability of independent and sustainable development. The results of China-Africa cooperation in various fields are visible and tangible. ‘’Get it, feel it, and benefit the people of both sides’’. Amb. Lin Songtian said that at present, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation as a century of changes intertwined with the epidemic of the century.
The global economy has fallen into a downturn, and less developed countries in Africa have become victims of geopolitics in the United States and the West. Africa is rich in natural and human resources, full of hope and vitality. Africa has been and is on the rise. Africa is in urgent need of infrastructure construction and human resource development, two major developments capacity building and financial support. Only by strengthening solidarity and cooperation can China and Africa jointly cope with risks and challenges, seek win-win cooperation and promote common development. Amb. Lin Songtian is looking forward to the African youth to travel around China, conduct on-the-spot research on China’s development concepts and successful practices, enrich their knowledge, increase their ability to promote development and benefit the people, and translate what they have seen, heard and learned in China to promote African development and China-Africa cooperation.
The African side thanked Amb. Lin Songtian for his warm invitation and in-depth interpretation, expressed sincere admiration for China’s development achievements, and full of confidence in the future China-Africa cooperation. They are willing to bring what they have seen and heard back to Africa for the benefit of the African people. They hope that the CPAFFC can continue this dialogue mechanism in the future, continue to organize African youths to visit various places in China, and go to the grassroots to inspect China’s modernization construction practice.
